Andhra Pradesh government’s call to promote e-Pos machines

The small and medium scale traders are using e-Pos machines at Guntur due to demonetisation on Friday. (Photo: DC)

Guntur: Availability of only a few e-Point of sale (e-Pos) machines (card swiping) is causing inconvenience to the public for daily usage and money transactions in Guntur district.

The government is asserting on the usage of swiping machines for all transactions including domestic needs and purchases. According to the officials, only 1,900 swiping machines were available in Guntur district which were failing to fulfill the needs. So the increase of swiping machines availability was sought to get rid of currency notes.

The APSRTC started card e-Pos machine services in the ticket reservation counter in NTR bus station at Guntur. Several banks have started e-PoS machines in the rythu bazaars offering withdrawal of Rs 500 through ATM cards to purchase vegetables. The majority of petrol bunks are offering e-Pos machine services and branded pharmacy outlets also offering the service which became helpful to the public.

But the absence of the these e-Pos machines in the grocery shops, general merchants, common hotels, bakeries, medical shops, milk booths, book shops, stationery, electrical/electronic shops, florists, juice shops, rice merchants, travel agents and others is troubling the public to get change for Rs 2,000 notes.

The total bank accounts in all banks were 76.63 lakh in which 6.41 lakh were recently opened bank accounts under Jan Dhan Yojana. But only 30,000 account-holders have online banking facility and 30 lakh account-holders are using ATM cards.

Employees, N. Satya, S.N. Meera and others said that a majority of the ATMs are inoperative due to clearing of cash. So, e-Pos machines should be available in the common shops where the public will purchase necessary things on daily basis. They hailed that the e-Pos machine service at Rythu Bazaar offering Rs 500 withdrawal as being good, but it is available for only a few hours with only one machine. So multiple machines should be provided in the markets to promote usage of ATM cards.

A shop owner, G. Raju, offering e-Pos machine said that the public are using these machines in unavoidable conditions but still a majority of the people reluctant to use them. He observed that card holders are expressing suspicion about secretly collecting their passwords during usage of e-Pos machines. So, the government should create awareness about the e-PoS machines among the public.

District collector Kantilal Dande said that e-Pos machines have been started in various sectors and the government is promoting swiping machines to help the public.